At the end, Nottingham Forest did not know whether to celebrate the comeback or rue their wastefulness. This was only their seventh away point this season and they earned it the hard way. There had been a rare burst of life from Chelsea and two smart goals from Raheem Sterling. Forest were having none of it, ending Frank Lampard’s hopes of a second consecutive win when Taiwo Awoniyi headed in his fourth goal of a highly productive week.
If there is a worry for Steve Cooper, though, it will be that his side’s failure to secure a second away win since promotion could come back to haunt them. It had the feel of a missed opportunity. Forest led early on, Awoyini punishing an Édouard Mendy mistake, and could have moved five points clear of the bottom three. Chelsea were there for the taking.
There was a sense that Cooper knew a chance had slipped away when Forest failed to send the substitute Brennan Johnson through deep into added time. The right pass and Johnson would have had a chance to lift the pressure before next week’s home game against Arsenal. As it is Forest may need something when they return to London to play Crystal Palace on the final day.
They would have loved to take advantage of Leeds failing to beat Newcastle earlier in the day. There was no timidity. Down on the touchline Lampard could soon be seen shaking his head. There were five changes from Chelsea, some of them enforced, but little cohesion. Forest, using an unconventional 5-2-2-1 system, easily squeezed the space.
It seemed Cooper had overthought his system by dropping Johnson so that Joe Worrall could start in central defence. Johnson played well when Forest beat Southampton last Monday. Yet Cooper wanted more solidity. Serge Aurier and Renan Lodi were disciplined on the flanks. Ryan Yates and Orel Mangala screened in midfield, while Danilo and Morgan Gibbs-White pushed up to support Awoniyi.
The ploy was effective. Forest threatened when Felipe headed wide. They scrapped for the loose balls and led when Enzo Fernández lost out during a midfield scramble in the 13th minute, Danilo emerging with the ball and finding Lodi on the left.
Lodi’s delivery was high enough to tempt Mendy off his line, sparking Chelsea’s latest calamity. Mendy was starting in goal for the first time since Senegal’s defeat to England at the World Cup and it showed. The goalkeeper’s presence merely spread confusion, Benoît Badiashile and Thiago Silva offering little resistance as Awoniyi headed the ball into the empty net.
Chelsea’s response was limited to Sterling bursting through and being denied by Worrall. Lewis Hall, in at left-back with Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell injured, also had a shot blocked.
At least Hall offered some drive. The 18-year-old produced Chelsea’s best moment, crossing for João Félix to head at Keylor Navas. Otherwise, though, Chelsea toiled. The frustration got to Félix and the injury list grew when Mateo Kovacic limped off to be replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Lampard had already revealed that N’Golo Kanté, out of contract in the summer, is probably out for the season.
Chelsea needed resolve. They were booed off at half-time and the grumbles would have grown louder if Moussa Niakhaté had extended Forest’s lead at the start of the second half.
after newsletter promotion
Moments later Sterling was trying and failing to lead a breakaway, Gibbs-White tracking back to dispossess the winger. As disjointed as they were, though, Chelsea still had individual quality. Out of nowhere they cut Forest open with a combination between Noni Madueke and Trevoh Chalobah on the right. Chalobah pulled the ball back and Sterling had time to beat Navas with a deflected shot.
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
The equaliser lifted Chelsea. Félix fired over. Then Loftus-Cheek surged forward and found Sterling. Felipe slid in, only for Sterling to swerve inside and whip a beautiful shot into the far corner.
Chelsea’s fans crowed, but they should have known better than to trust this team to hold out. Forest were level four minutes later, Chelsea’s defence faltering again when Mangala lifted the ball back in after a weak clearance and Awoniyi headed in from six yards.
Could Forest do it again? Lodi went close with two rasping efforts. Chelsea pressed and Sterling headed over. Forest held out.
